just before the dawn
by magic is in thy blood
Summary: blood is bathing the streets, bodies cry in quite woe and pain. the battle rages on in the castle as the men and women fall outside the gate. dark is hell and hell is here.
1. Chapter 1

The bodies lined the archways of the castles highest battlement; it littered the stairways down to the cobble cord yard red. Red with vengeance, red with anger, red with the blood of men. Men who had fought so hard, so bravely, only to be slaughtered like cattle. Limbs attached in unkindly ways, bodies reaching for hope so beyond the rigeration of their now set bodies, mouth screaming in pain and woe. The sky was black as charcoal and only seem to hold the never-ending darkness that the torches on the wall of the castle could not ebb away. The fire too flickered out and died as if someone blew upon it with a single cold breath.

But the lines, no matter how small they were becoming still held.

Men, women, and able bodies were able to starve off the enemy from reaching the bared gates of Camelot. Their feet pushed in to the blood and guts that was the ground as they took many wounds to them. Sliver embedded in torsos making the insides scream out and drop to the ground, arms bleed like rain, tears held like the gate behind them. The leader of the assembled pack growled an honored yell and as one, the people pushed passed the other fighters and managed to knock some down and turn their own weapons against them.

Alas, it was only some.

The man, a knight of the castle, who had lost his own sword long ago, unclenched his enemy's sword from their throat and with a skilled backwards slash cut the soldier behind him down. He was knocked into then and felt a tremendous white pain arch up his back and down his throat. He was meet face to face with a troll. It was an ulgy creutre that stood a good three men high and four wide. It was dressed in a crude form of human cloths and sung a scythe much like the fable Grimm reaper. It roared again and the knight was pushed back as it ripped the curved medal blade out of his back and it the air. Bones broke and snapped, he fell to his knees.

Vision failing he gasped in the air that seemed so sweat to him know then in the hours he had been awake. So sweet and fresh did it taste it seemed too real to be true. With a hand, he pushed himself up as the troll sneered and marched to the castle to bang open the closed gates. Pushing the other dark knights out of his way, he delivered a muster of Virgo, and pushed a blade into the back of the big troll's knee.

It abused him, dragged him, clawed at him, but he held. All around him, his people he was leading fought more harder. They knew they would fall this night, but not before all the ugly bastards of hell fell before them. The knight caught the troll's own blade and killed him with it. Its hot blood bathed his already sinned skin.

He fell as light claimed him and the last dark knight fell to the earth. He could see the still escalating fight inside the castle as it rages on. Nevertheless, they would only have to deal with the few thousand that had managed to break the wall and that was it. The knight smiled once again as an ear-splitting scream tore through the air and a beast flew above him. So magnificent was it that he felt blessed just to see it, and with it the beast brought him to the most important parts of his life to view again.

The briefest of lights trailed the sky as the knight fell in his own insides and coughed into the road as he died.

"For Camelot, for the king and queen, for the people, for my friends, for FREEDOM!" Lancelot shouted his last words on earth.

Still the battle rages on.

**Wait to find out about the Camelot and the rest of the groups fate in chapter 2**

**Please, please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

The castle was in a way scarce of any natural human life. The walls were stained with blood, the grand hall empty of all void, even air, the halls too silent save the moans of the wounded. However, there were those that did live or were living to a point of certain death. Oh, how they fought! Side sweeps, parries, complicated acrobats, their swords cutting there unseen and unheard of opponents in half.

"Hurry Arthur in here!" Merlin the warlock yelled in a loud whisper. He halued his sowrd to the ground with a dull clank and chanted a low mummer of words that could only be a spell. Runes danced in front of his vision and with a snap of his heated wrist, a wall of sliver light jumped into existences. The women behind him held open the door and the warlock pulled the king through.

The pair made to hurry as they barred the oak door with anything they could find and grimaced when they found there friend sir Leon smashed head first against the wall. Arthur held Gwen his beloved wife in his arms as she finally let out her tears. He looked to Merlin, his face older then he was supposed to be.

"What do we do know, Merlin?" Arthur asked his friend.

Merlin in answer looked out the iron-clad windows. He could see flames and death all around. He had felt it with him when the gate fell and his friends were slain. Of course this would never happen had he had not so foolishly left open the portal to Avalon. He should hand never trusted the fey, not yet. Wiping off spittle of blood he sighed.

They had fought long and hard. They were weak and could not possibly take any more of this. Arthur would die and Camelot would become myth.

"I don't know, Arthur. I am worn and any spell would only feed the fey's power. The gates have fallen and I feel there is no hope."

Arthur carefully sat Gwen down on a chair with a nice fine rip and put a hand on Merlin's shoulder. He looked him in the eyes and in that glance he could see al the years, all the adventures the two had shared, since they first meet.

"Did you not tell me there is always hope? We have to get through this. Because we are meant to win, if not out of victory then to show others there is always hope, Merlin. As long as you and Gwen are by my side nothing else matters."

Gwen gave a half sob, ran to the other two, and hugged them. She pulled back and smiled, "we can do this Merlin. We have been in rougher spots before."

Merlin smiled, "then we need a plan."

Just then, the door gave a loud moan and it exploded. Arthur with a quick move pushed Gwen behind him and threw a piece of sharp something to her. He watched as Merlin ran head long into the pile of fey coming through and slashed half of them with a small sword he had kept on him. Arthur joined the fight with him. Cutting the head off the first fey he moved onto the other. With a kick, he knocked a fairy turned human down. It growled and managed to draw a claw into him and draw blood; Arthur yelled and brought his sword down but was blocked by another. He gasped as a massive sized creature with a ruthful grinning mouth smiled at him; with its fist, it gasped his neck.

His life glowing dimmer by the second as he tried to breath but could not, all he could do was watch his friend and wife suffer at the fey's hands as they dwindled down their energy. He was going to die. Die and be gone forever and his friends tortured….

Ashhhhh

Fire.

It charred and brined everything save for Arthur. He watched as the creature that held him turned to ash and dropped to the ground. The room grew so hot he had to block his face when his feet touched the ground. As it cooled, he raised his head up to see a slim dragon.

Merlin's dragon.

It whipped his tail and sent those that weren't burn out the window with a clash. It roared once as Arthur ducked under it and helped Gwen up. She smiled and looked to the dragon in amazement. She went to go look at Merlin in question but them man was gone from her side. She looked to the floor and saw him doubled over and breathing hard.

The dragon had noticed at the same time and went over to him. With a few garbld words exchanged the dragon laid a talon on Merlin's head. The talon grew with light and merlin shudder and pulsated with light once. He drew a long breath and his skin was back to normal. He looked at the dragon and bowed his head in thanks.

"How did you know to come, dragon?" Arthur asked as he gave Merlin a once over look to see if he was okay.

The dragon growled in his throat then spoke. The other's- apart from Merlin- were surprised they could understand him in their heads.

"my dear king, not all is lost in darkness. You were born to rule and shall rule. I knew to come because it was foreseen and I could fell the distress in the warlock that is bound to me. I had in turn saved the kingdom's life. The fey are in a sense no more."

Merlin smiled, "and you said you were not going to help me no more."

The dragon seemed to shrug, " I didn't help you, Merlin. I am bound to you there is a difference. But you are welcome all the same."

"Yes, thank you," Arthur said to the dragon and to Merlin. He looked out the window and then to the dead pile at the courtyards, then to the room. It seemed all was lost even if they had won.

Merlin as if reading his thoughts gave a cough and pointed to the window. On the skyline there was a brilliant light of orange and gold. The sun.

"Remember Arthur, there is always hope for you and others when you need it. It comes not from sword nor magic but from family and friends. Light comes eventually in the darkest hour."

Arthur smiled then. The rest were silent.

"and may that light stay long to help us reclaim and build what is ours.

**please give a couple seonds of your time and give a nice review to see hoe i did. i expect flames if they are not to harsh too!**


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